Another possibility to consider, the rear main may not be leaking very much. A small leak there is almost expected, however a major contributor to the leak could be the side cover or the tappet cover gasket. I replaced the rear main gasket on my ‘51 this spring while adjusting main and rod bearing clearances. Now it appears to be leaking like a screen door when in fact it’s the side cover gasket. The lower left side corner is a prime suspect. The engine sits at an angle and oil pools in that corner, leaking and looking exactly like a rear main leak. Same goes for the rear of the tappet cover.
The only way I’ve found to be sure is to pressure wash the engine really well, go for a drive and when checking for leaks pay particular attention to the area just above the starter. Any oil there is from one of the aforementioned gaskets.
Good Luck
RonR
Last edited by moparguy; 11/19/2023 12:34 PM.
